Certain brain injuries may be linked to violent crime – identifying them could help reveal how people make moral choices

Armed with new tools that reveal patterns of connection between brain areas, researchers are gaining clearer insights into how the brain regulates behavior.

By: Christopher M. Filley, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Isaiah Kletenik, Harvard University, and Patricia Churchland, University of California, San Diego, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 3, 2026

Words: 1,322

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Christopher M. Filley, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Isaiah Kletenik, Harvard University, and Patricia Churchland, University of California, San Diego

On Oct. 25, 2023, a 40-year old man named Robert Card opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at a bowling alley and nearby bar in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others. Card was found dead by suicide two days later. His autopsy revealed extensive damage to the white matter of …

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